Plus: Wander fields of blooming dahlias
 
08.01.2023 6AM-Top banner logo-small.png

SUBSCRIBE | REFER

Today’s Forecast

49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.
 

🔮 Let’s peer into the Crystal ball

Luxury cruise line Crystal announces stop in Portland in 2024
Crystal Serenity 2023.jpg
The Crystal Serenity features nearly one crew member for every passenger. | Photo by Crystal
A ship longer than two football fields and heavier than the Titanic will sail into Portland next summer.

The cruise line Crystal announced that one of its two ships will make a stop in Portland on Saturday, June 29, 2024, as part of an eight-night commercial voyage up the western coast of North America.

The vessel, a 740-capacity ship named Crystal Serenity, will set out from San Diego, California, making stops in San Francisco, Astoria, Portland, and Victoria, before reaching its final destination in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tickets will cost roughly $4,400 per person.

Crystal was formerly known as “Crystal Cruises” but got a name change when it was acquired by A&K Travel Group last year. The Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony ships underwent $150 million renovations, with work on the Serenity finishing first. Its inaugural journey began this week in France.

Swan Island Willamette River shipyards Portland PDX

A bird’s eye view of Swan Island with a sliver of Forest Park in the lower right corner.

|

Photo by Steve Morgan

If you’re wondering where cruise ships actually dock in Portland, just look to Swan Island where Vigor Industrial operates the largest floating drydock — dubbed the Vigorous — in North America. Ships from cruise lines like the Royal Caribbean and Carnival often dock there. You can see which ships are coming and going at any given time with this online tracker.
 
Events
Tuesday, Aug. 1
  • 78th Street Heritage Farm Guided Tour | Tuesday, Aug. 1 | 10-11:30 a.m. | Heritage Farm, 1919 Northeast 78th St., Vancouver | Free | Join the WSU Extension Clark County Master Gardener Program and learn about the 79-acre property’s role in horticulture education, agriculture research, and community food security.
Wednesday, Aug. 2
  • Skatemobile at Lunch & Play | Wednesday, Aug. 2 | 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Mount Scott Park, Southeast 72nd Avenue + Harold Street, Portland | Free | The Rose City Rollers and Portland Parks and Recreation are teaming up to give kids a fun day of skating with free gear rentals and food.
  • Kenton Farmers Market | Wednesday, Aug. 2 | 3-7 p.m. | North McClellan Street + North Denver Avenue, Portland | Free | Celebrate getting over the hump by shopping for local produce while enjoying the street-fair atmosphere and live music.
  • Bryan Adams: “So Happy It Hurts 2023" w/ Joan Jett and the Blackhearts | Wednesday, Aug. 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way, Portland | $31-$145 | Jump back to the summer of ’69 and sing-shout “I love rock ‘n’ roll” all night long.
Thursday, Aug. 3
  • Annual Dahlia Festival | Thursday, Aug. 3-Saturday, Sept. 30 | 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | Swan Island Dahlias, 995 NW 22nd Ave., Canby | Free | The country’s largest dahlia grower invites you to explore nearly 50 acres of rainbow blooms with more than 375 varieties and pre-order your favorite to plant at home next spring.
Friday, Aug. 4
  • Word is Bond 2023 Community Exhibition and Showcase | Friday, Aug. 4 | 4:30-7 p.m. | Lewis & Clark College, 615 S. Palatine Hill Rd., Portland | Free | See various works and presentations created by the leadership program’s summer interns, hear from those involved in local walking tours, and meet ambassadors who recently returned from Ghana.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
News Notes
Traffic
  • The Northeast 33rd Avenue Bridge has reopened to nearly all traffic in all directions for the first time since 2021 when cracks were found in a concrete support column. Tractor trailers over 55 ft long are still being detoured until PBOT fixes a damaged railing in the fall.
Environment
  • US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined Oregon lawmakers yesterday at Portland’s World Forestry Center to announce a second year of funding to help at-risk local communities, including tribal communities, with wildfire protection. The Forest Service is accepting applications for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program through Tuesday, Oct. 31.
Feel Good
  • “It’s meant to make people laugh and it’s meant to be silly.” That’s how Danielle Brock describes her annual “Chicken Daddies” calendar project. KOIN reporter Kohr Harlan has been the face of May since the concept hatched in 2021; see his photoshoot for the 2024 swimsuit edition. It’s un-fowl-gettable. (KOIN)
Open
  • “Atomic-age fantasy, disco music, and Mapo Tofu gravy fries” await customers at The Houston Blacklight, a new bar from chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly and his wife Mariah — the duo behind Gado Gado and Oma’s Hideaway. Expect Asian-inspired dishes like instant ramen in French onion soup, psychedelic bathrooms, and tropical cocktails. (Portland Monthly)
State
  • Oregon’s first heavy-duty all-electric Freightliner truck is now in service. Local officials, environmental activists, and business leaders were among those who gathered at a Southeast Portland truck yard to celebrate the Electric Freightliner eCascadia, which can haul up to 82,000 pounds and travel 230 miles on a full charge. (Portland Tribune)
Legacy
  • Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, has died at the age of 70 after a years-long battle with cancer. “Portlandia” fans will remember Reubens for his appearance in the Season 5 finale as a lawyer representing accused taxidermy shop arsonists played by stars and co-creators Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
State

⛽ Pump it up

Self-serve gas law will take effect in Oregon within days
A person holds a gas nozzle inserted into a car's fuel tank at a gas station.
New Jersey will be left as the only state that still bans many drivers from fueling up on their own. | Photo by Erik Mclean
Oregon is a land where you can shred the ski slopes and relax on a beach in the same day, buy things without paying sales tax, and, soon, drivers will be able to pump their own gas.

Last week, Gov. Tina Kotek announced the bills she plans to veto before the end of the current legislative session on Friday, Aug. 4. House Bill 2426 was notably absent from the list. State law requires Kotek to serve notice of a possible veto at least five business days in advance — and that time has come and gone.

The bill will legalize self-service gas statewide. An emergency clause allows it to take effect immediately when Kotek either signs it or allows it to pass unsigned on Friday. Gas stations will be free to offer self-service fueling at up to half of their pumps (read: at least half of a station’s pumps must still be full service), though the rules can vary in some remote counties.
 
Share PDXtoday
 

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Have someone who needs to stay in the know? Get amazing rewards for every new subscriber you bring by sharing your unique referral link (below).

{{profile.vars.rh_reflink_20}}
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email

{{profile.vars.rh_totref_20}} friends are looped into all things local because of you.
Claim your rewards
 
The Wrap
 
Cambrie Juarez headshot

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie
From the editor
Swan Island Dahlias holds a special place in my heart because it’s where I sourced many of the blooms for my wedding bouquets and decorations. Visiting the farm (it’s located in Canby but some of its original buildings were on Portland’s Swan Island, hence the name) has been on my list of summer to-dos for years — I’m hoping to finally make it out there.
Missed our previous newsletter?     ›
Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback     ›
Subscribe     ›
Advertise     ›
Shop     ›
 
 

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

Copyright © 2023 6AM City Inc, All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY